Chris Haston/NBC; NBC"Everything is sex."
And with that line, a star was born. Or a weirdo. Either way, we are so happy that NBC has announced that James Spader will reprise his role of Robert California, one of the candidates who interviewed for Michael Scott's position in the season finale of The Office. But he won't just do the regional manager work that Steve Carell's Michael Scott once held:
He'll be the freaking CEO of Sabre! Paul Lieberstein, who plays Toby and also serves as an executive producer, says that Spader's "high-class weirdo Jedi warrior" character will be promoted "within days" from manager to CEO of the company. "He'll have been hired over the summer as the new manager, but within hours, got himself promoted. Within days, he took over the company. James has an energy that is completely his own, and The Office has no tools for dealing with this guy. We're thrilled he's joining our cast."
And so, apparently, is Office writer/actress Mindy Kaling. She just tweeted: "Spader, huh? Can't wait to make small talk with him at craft services."
But what about Jo Bennet, the original CEO of Sabre, played by the wonderful Kathy Bates? We assume her obligation to Harry's Law will keep her from reprising her role any longer, but that's all speculation at this point. Maybe we'll get the story of how the hell Robert managed to take over Jo's job in the season premiere?
We can only hope. Until then, let's shoot around some theories in the comments!